New Loch Ness Monster Evidence?

Another bit of "evidence" of the infamous Loch Ness Monster has emerged. While 50-year-old, David Elder was photographing a swan on the Scottish lake, he managed to capture what looks like a dark mass causing ripples on the surface.

Is it Nessie or just waves? Or could it be evidence of the seismic activity that a geologist claimed was the cause of the sightings?

According to Elder, "I'm convinced this was caused by a solid black object under the water," he said. "The water was very still at the time and there were no ripples coming off the wave and no other activity on the water."

You can check out the video below and let us know your opinions.

-Larissa Mrykalo

Animal Planet's 'River Monsters' finds Loch Ness Monster and it is a ... shark?

If you think shows about fishing are boring and have nothing to do with cryptozoology, well, you would be Animal Planet has kept audiences on the edge of their seats as they journey with Jeremy Wade into mysterious places in search of fresh water nightmares on River Monsters.
sorely mistaken. Since 2009,

Now here's where some crypto action comes in (well, in addition to the whole mermaid thing): In the show’s third season (airing in 2011) he traveled to Japan, where he set out to discover the true identity of the legendary water-spirit, the Kappa. After going on a seemingly endless chase, Wade finally meets up with a scientist that has been working on preserving the endangered Japanese giant salamander, or Hanzaki. Upon examining and wrangling one of the creatures out of the shallow waters for himself, Wade decides that it is highly likely that the Hanzaki is in fact the culprit behind the legend of the Kappa. For many viewers, that was the most recognizable monster to date. That is, until now...

Wallace & Gromit visit Nessie

British stop-motion duo Wallace & Gromit have had many adventures, so we weren’t surprised when they recently managed to get their picture taken with the legendary Loch Ness Monster.

According to Scotsman.com, the very pricey (four million British pounds to be exact) tourism campaign video created by the duo’s creator, Aardman, titled "The Great Adventure" aka "Holiday Hot Shots" features them visiting several UK landmarks. Our favorite is the brief shot of them getting their pic taken at Loch Ness complete with a Nessie photo bomb.

Check it out here and let us know if this video accompaniment to the huge VisitEngland/VisitScotland campaign entices you to visit the UK.

New Nessie pic best yet?

We try to avoid just reporting new sightings of ghosts, monsters and Elvis here at PPC, but when something has the makings of guiding mainstream conversation for a news cycle or two, and is even getting play on entertainment websites, it becomes pop culture.

So here we go. George Edwards, a pretty well known Loch Ness Monster believer, purports to have captured the best shot yet of Nessie in the Scottish waters.

Edwards takes his boat - the "Nessie Hunter" - out for frequent searches on the loch with tourists, and told ABC News he snapped the above picture one November morning after seeing something out of the corner of his eye. He held onto the photo until now because he says he was dealing with the recent deaths of his sister and mother.

He says he believes the loch monster  likely looks more like a manatee than the humped beast with a horse-like head that we've come to think of. Also, he said there are probably several of the creatures in the loch, and not just one that's been alive since the first sighting in 565 AD.

Interestingly, Edwards claims he was a Nessie skeptic for a long time before becoming a believer.

"I grew up with the legend, like the boogeyman, or Big Foot in your part of the world, and most people start out thinking it’s a myth," Edwards told ABC. "But Loch Ness is so deep and dark and mysterious, when you start hearing more and more stories, you start believing more."

He adds that while there are other Nessie hunters in his area, the topic is something that people don’t want to discuss.

"Many people loathe to talk openly about believing in Nessie for fear of ridicule ... Of course I’ve faced the ridicule, but I can’t bury my face in the sand, when I know what’s out there."

So what do you think of the photo? Is it a fake or just something explainable floating in the water? Or is this actually the best photographic evidence of Nessie yet?

-Aaron Sagers

School teaches Loch Ness Monster proof of Creationism

Nessie from Doctor Who's "Terror of the Zygons,"
Courtesy BBC

Some students in Louisiana state will be receiving state-funded vouchers to attend private schools - and perhaps learn about the truth behind Nessie?

According to Herald Scotland (via io9), some schools such as the Eternity Christian Academy, in Westlake, Louisiana teach from the Accelerated Christian Education Inc. (A.C.E.) Curriculum Program which encourages students to "see life from God's point of view."

That point of view includes teaching that Scotland's Loch Ness Monster is proof positive that evolution never happened, and substantiates Creationism (because if dinos existed at the same time as man, then Darwinism is a fatally flawed concept).

The article quotes from the ACE Biology 1099 textbook:

Minneapolis lake monster tweets location

Minne

Minne, the Minneapolis lake monster, is social media-savvy and is using Twitter to make it easier for local cryptid hunters to spot her.

According to local CBS affiliate WCCO-TV (via Huffington Post), the creature - first spotted in 2009 in Lake Harriet - is a 13-foot tall sculpture by artist Cameron Gainer based on the 1934 Surgeon's Photo of the Loch Ness Monster. Minne is moved to new lakes in the area for a few weeks at a time, and to drum up attendance at local parks, the Minneapolis Parks Foundation runs a "Catch Minne" promotion where Minne takes to Facebook and Twitter to post clues about where she might be.

Presumably if you do catch Minne, you're not allowed to keep her.

In other river serpent news, Lake Chelan, Wash., is also hosting a contest for their local Nessie. Except this one has more of an identity crisis. There have been multiple reports of a creature in the 55-mile long freshwater in the last century, but it has never been given a name. But Chelan's "name the monster" contest will change that when a winner is announced on April 28 (and we're pulling for "Cheldon," btw).

'Finding Bigfoot's Barackman on Jersey Devil, river serpents & Squatch's sexy squat

Artist depiction of the Honey Island Swamp Monster
in Lousiana. Courtesy Animal Planet

Bigfoot is big business, or at least the search for him is. The Jan. 1 second season premiere of Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot drew 1.6 million viewers. Not only is this the second-best premiere for the network (after River Monsters), it is a healthy number for a New Year's Day opening. With a third season order presumably forthcoming, and because readers asked for more, we wanted to revisit Finding Bigfoot investigator Cliff Barackman.

Barackman works alongside the Bigfoot Field Researcher’s Organization (BFRO) leader Matt Moneymaker, investigator James “Bobo” Fay and research biologist Ranae Holland on the show to explore reported "Squatch" activity. He spoke with Paranormal Pop Culture before last week's season premiere (read part one here) about his field and theories on the hairy beast man. This time we wanted to ask more about other monsters that might be out there, including the famed monster. We also had to let our minds go in the paranormal potty with our final question.

'Doctor Who' companion to take TARDIS to Loch Ness?

Because we sort of painted ourselves in the corner with paranormal pop culture instead of, say, "sci-fi pop culture," it's not often we get to talk about the awesomeness that is Doctor Who. But today, everything's coming up Milhouse.

It turns out Scots actress Karen Gillan, who plays the eleventh Doctor's companion Amy Pond (shown here), wants the TARDIS to hunt for Nessie. Gillan tells Scottish newspaper the Daily Record she's been badgering the show's Scottish producer to do a "Scottish special."  Sound like a lot of Scots? You betcha.

"The Scots are taking over," says Gillan. "I said to Steven that we should do something with the Loch Ness Monster in Inverness." She adds, "I would love to see someone like Billy Connolly in the show ... I just think we should have someone who's a big character and who is really funny. Someone like that,who is Scottish."

As it happens, comedian Connolly (who, depending on your age, is best known to American audiences as Mr. MacGregor in Head of the Class or as Il Duce in The Boondock Saints) almost took over as the eighth Doctor before Paul McGann eventually became the Time Lord.

If the Scottish episode did happen, it wouldn't even be the first time Nessie would make an appearance on the show. Doctor fans might remember the Zygons tried to use the cryptid to wreak havoc back in 1975 - but back then the monster was just an alien cyborg known as a Skarasen.

'The Cryptid Files' explores children's fiction, Loch Ness

Combining the adventurous inclinations of wondrous youngsters with the mysteries of cryptids is such a natural creative fit, but yet so few people make good use of it within paranormal pop culture. A few notable exceptions include The Water Horse (the Dick King-Smith book and film) and The Secret Saturdays.

Having not read it, I cannot say for certain if British author Jean Flitcroft's new young reader book series The Cryptid Files falls within the same category as the aforementioned two, but I've high hopes.

Revolving around Vanessa, a 12-year-old Irish girl seeking to complete her mother's quest to uncover the mystery creatures of the world, the first book kicks off with a quest for Nessie. Instead of taking chapters to head to Scotland, the story begins fast with a gripping prologue where the girl ends up deep in the drink of the loch. The same pace is again set right away with the as-yet unreleased follow-up featuring Chupacabra.

The book has yet to be published in the United States just yet, but it can be found through Amazon. If you've kids, or just a cryptid fix, check it out.

Paranormal Pop Culture Week in Review

Paranormal Pop Culture Week in Review: A round-up of the week's news to know when talking about the unknown:

• A New Zealand woman sold two vials of holy water (shown left) she said contained the ghosts of an old man and young girl - which she says had been exorcised in a $100 bargain exorcism - for US$1,983 at an online auction site (visit for the comments alone). The auction attracted more than 200,000 views and was eventually won by an electronic cigarette company. She said the proceeds, minus the exorcism fee, would go to an animal charity.  Two questions:  Who charges for exorcisms? If you had to pay for an exorcism, wouldn't you want to avoid the budget option that probably just ticks off an evil spirit? (Reuters)

• The UFO NewsCorp coverage craze continues with something eerie over Lake Erie when an Ohio EMT catches what he claims is photo and video evidence of a craft "making line formations and triangles in the sky." (FOXNews)

• Nessie may be occupying prime real estate in a new Monopoly Highland Edition game that will replace London landmarks with Scottish ones. While not yet official, the Loch Ness Monster is a top contender to replace the coveted Mayfair spot from the London version (which is the most expensive space on the board, similar to Boardwalk in the U.S. version). Scots get a chance to vote on the top slot with the British makers of the game, Winning Moves, with polls closing on April 2, and the game being released in October or November this year. Of course, if Nessie wins the race, and we have no doubt she will, she'd already be prepared to be a landlord - hard to find and surfacing only when you're not ready for her.   (Telegraph)

• Forget the wolf, it looks like Red Riding Hood is going to be the "big bad" in two upcoming female-driven werewolf hunting flicks. First up, geektastic actress Felicia Day (Penny from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog) will star in Syfy's 2011 Red. As a descendant of the original Riding Hood, her character "brings her fiancé home, where he meets the family and learns about their business — hunting werewolves. He’s skeptical until bitten by a werewolf. When her family insists he must be killed, Red tries saving him." Also, Amanda Seyfried will be directed by Twilight helmer Catherine Hardwicke in the Leo DiCaprio-produced vehicle, The Girl With The Red Riding Hood about a village plagued by a werewolf. (EW & The Playlist)

•  Zombies are organizing in Oz to protest Australia's lack of an adults-only video game rating - which prevents games like Left4Dead 2 from being sold there. Instead of being walking dead (this time) the zombie hoard is actually a group of protesters who will be gathering at the Hyde Park Fountain in Sydney on March 27 for a citywide shuffle, but will be taking part in a promotional photoshoot tomorrow (or today, I guess, when you consider wacky Australian time zones). Called the Epic Zombie Marchmarch, the group has organized over Facebook. Blow their minds and eat their brains, zombie protesters! (via NetworkWorld)

• Author Seth Grahame-Smith continues to enjoy attention as, depending on your point of view, either breathing a little excitement into literature and history or tainting it with his new book, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. The film rights to the book have already been picked up by Tim Burton, and Grahame-Smith's other book, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is also being made into a movie starring Natalie Portman. Add to that, the upcoming PP&Z graphic novel - which PopCandy so nicely gives us a sneak peek of - and you've got a guy with a mini-monster-mashup empire on his hands. Can The Old Man and the Sea Serpent be far behind? The trailer for Vampire Hunter below.

Hunting the other loch monster, curing the dead Nessie blues

Last year was not a good one for the most famous water serpent of all, Nessie. With numbers of credible sightings dwindling, a theory has arisen that the Loch Ness "monster" has been done in by global warming. The idea really gained momentum with the February 2009 episode of MonsterQuest where explorer Robert Rines speculated he saw sonar of Nessie's remains at the bottom of the loch.

Gary Campbell, president of the Official Loch Ness Monster Fan Club, acknowledges there was only one solid sighting in 2009, but he's not ready to sign Nessie's death certificate (largely because her death would also kill the town's tourist trade).

But even if it is true that Nessie has gone to the big loch in the sky, don't start playing "Amazing Grace" on the bagpipes for all crypto water serpents just yet.  In fact, there may be another Scottish serpent in Loch Ness' neighboring village of Loch Morar.

Jack Black to bring cryptozoology to big screen

After his last animated film, Kung-Fu Panda, made a bundle of cash, Jack Black will be returning to the toon world with a untitled cryptozoology film for 2012.

Reported by Variety, Black will produce the Illumination Entertainment animated film about "the search for legendary creatures whose existence has never actually been confirmed, like the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot."

Black is not going to provide a voice in the film, but it's still an interesting development for all you crypto fans out there.  Like I've been saying for a while now, the world of mysterious beasts is the next big thing for paranormal pop culture.

Loch Ness Monster caught! ... On Google Earth

In cryptozoology, it helps to look at the big picture and in this case, the big picture is the entire world as seen through Google Earth.

The Sun - my personal favorite of the titillating British tabloids - broke news today that the Loch Ness Monster (Nessie to friends) may have been spotted in a satellite image of the Scottish lake by an English security guard.

Is it indeed Nessie? Loch Ness experts are sure to be sounding off in the coming days, but this is the most positive news to happen to her fans lately. In fact, a lack of sightings had led some to theorize she'd died due to global warming, reports the Telegraph.

The image is located at co-ordinates Latitude 57°12'52.13"N, Longitude 4°34'14.16"W on the site, and it definitely looks like ... something. But so did those criss-crossed lines off the northwest coast of Africa that were thought to be the Lost City of Atlantis back in February.

Since it launched in 2005, the virtual globe of Google Earth has been a part of pop culture, but it's importance within paranormal pop culture is still pretty new. If this does end up being Nessie, you can bet the Jersey Devil will consult with Dick Cheney on camouflaging tips.

-aaron sagers